About a fortnight ago, when oil minister Moily decided to convey the importance of public transport and the need to save precious fuel, he chose to use the Delhi Metro Rail as an example, and not the bus.

Though a large number of people still use the bus, the shining Metro has become the face of public transport and the icon of Delhi. The Chennai Metro Rail too, must be thinking that it is only months away from similarly being in the spotlight and becoming the next big success story. But that may not happen. Chennai cannot repeat the success of Delhi.

Chennai Metro Rail is a welcome addition to the city, but it does not have the potential, at least not yet, to make a significant impact and ease traffic on the roads. Expectations about Chennai Metro Rail have to be lowered, and here are the reasons for it.

The Delhi Metro Rail is spread over 190 km and serves about 23 lakh passengers every day. By 2016, when the second phase is completed, it will have a 240-km network and by 2021, it will reach 400 km, making it one of the largest networks in the world.

In comparison, Chennai, which is only 45 km long, neither has the spread nor the connectivity to match Delhi’s. But the Chennai Metro planners are optimistic. They project that passenger trips per day will reach 7.74 lakh in 2016, and 12.85 lakh in 2026. Their reasoning is that the lines run through well-developed parts of the city and connect major transport nodes. However, in their enthusiasm, they have overlooked lessons from Delhi.

In 2003, despite its plans for an extensive network, the Delhi Metro Rail had to scale down its ridership figures from 31.85 lakh passenger trips per day to 22.6 lakh. Even this figure appeared inflated in 2007, when about 65 km was completed and ridership was only 29 per cent of what was projected. Steep ticket prices, poor connectivity to stations and lack of integration with the surrounding areas were cited as reasons.

However, the critical point was that the network was not fully developed. Ridership increased as the network expanded and connected areas such as Badarpur which are away from the city centre. Delhi Metro Rail now carries more than 23 lakh passengers per day. This cannot be repeated in Chennai. The two Metro lines run parallel to three well serviced roads – Anna Salai, Poonamallee High Road and Inner Ring Road.

Second, there are no indications that this network will expand to link future growth hotspots such as Poonamallee and Sriperumbudur. The Chennai planners may argue that if their proposal for two additional corridors — Ambatur to Thiruvanmiyur and Porur to Kutchery Road — is implemented, things will improve. The fact is that the government has shelved them. Even assuming that the monorail network will substitute these projects and add to the Metro Rail usage, ridership figures will not touch the desired level.

Probably realising this, the Metro planners are pushing the CMDA to permit more built-up area along the Metro lines and thus help ridership – a move that would work at cross purposes and congest the roads.

Instead, what the Chennai Metro Rail planners should do is expand outward and reach areas where growth is rapid. As seen in the case of MRTS – where the ridership figures increased when the lines reached Velachery, connecting the suburbs is critical. The Metro has the potential to shape urban pattern and produce high-density nodes around stations. It could infuse organised development into the suburbs, something the city badly needs.

Surprising to hear about quick conclusions comparing Delhi metro and a yet to be launched smaller metro.
Given the state's record in public transport which is better than almost all states, it is a matter of time before CMRL is succcessful. And no single mode is to be relied upon, metro, suburban train and monorail plus bus-mini and regular along with efficient auto, call and regular taxi -have to be combined to provide efficient service. And lastly, no point in comparing physical infrastructure with social schemes like canteens. Social schemes are a must to ensure social peace before building any industrial platform. And TN has a strong record in social and industrialization, believe statistical facts or not!

from:
BG Krishnan

Posted on: Oct 25, 2013 at 05:19 IST

The metro rail should also cover high density areas in the North madras .Metrorail or the state government should consider the following routes which have no EMU or MRTS facilty so far but which are thickly populated.

Route No2: Redhills to Moolakadai(via the national highway)/Erukencherry/Vyasarpaadi/AattuThotti/Pulianthope/Doveton/ Purasawalkam/Vepery/Central Station.

The above routes should be considered by the authorities for development as these densely populated zones and the people have harrowing times to travel to/from the city through the existing medium of road transportation which are dogged by bad roads and woeful transportation facilities.I request your Deputy editor to highlight the lack of infrastructure of the above areas rather than only writing on affluent areas of Chennai.

from:
Binu

Posted on: Oct 25, 2013 at 00:46 IST

Sridharan's forecast message had no effects on the state govt. Cheap idilies and sambar sadam are not substitute for developmental work. Monorail project announced in front of Governor (in fact governor read the message) the the present govt has committed and would complete in 2 years time! Where is monorail now? 45 km metro rail simply not enough. But who bothers and in any case the decision makers at the top are not travelling in public transport to see the commuters' pain in their every day life.

from:
V. Rajagopal

Posted on: Oct 24, 2013 at 15:26 IST

The Govt should consider expanding the metro in the fast developing OMR side. This will help the movement of people working in the SEZ's that have come up in that stretch. In Bangalore there is an elevated IT corridor running all the way to the electronic city and probably in chennai Govt. could achieve overall development by extending the metro till siruseri. That will reduce traffic of private buses running in the city as these are required by companies to transport their employees. Also it will lead to healthy growth of new suburbs extending beyond siruseri.

from:
Pravin Selvakumar

Posted on: Oct 24, 2013 at 15:21 IST

The Author is correct in his apprehension about the Metro, though Chennai has MRTS and EMU train services one has to travel all the way to beach station or park railway station to change over to MRTS if one is traveling from Avadi. The roads are too crowded as well. One problem with the existing system is we do not have a common transit and have to take multiple modes to travel within the city. A new mode of transport (METRO) should solve this problem and not complicate it.

from:
Karunakaran J

Posted on: Oct 24, 2013 at 14:53 IST

In fact, it creates more traffic becuase it is laid on existing road network!

from:
Raj

Posted on: Oct 24, 2013 at 10:04 IST

CMRL is supposed to run within the heaat of the city and reduce city traffic.
many want metro to suburbs. if thats the case its not a mtro train, its an ordinary suburban train.
metro will be a huge hit once implemented.

from:
rajeev

Posted on: Oct 24, 2013 at 09:38 IST

The State government and the MRTS must take necessary IMMEDIATE action to complete the MRTS , VELACHERRY - ST.THOMAS MOUNT project and make way for easy convenience for the public. This project is in snail stage. This is also one of the reason for escalating cots of the project. If the project is completed it will help the traveling passengers and avoid the road congestion. Therefore, the concerned authorities must look into this for early completion of this project and run the trains.

from:
K.V.Narayanan

Posted on: Oct 24, 2013 at 07:31 IST

As many readers have pointed chennai already has a well established MRTS and suburban railway system. Upgrading the rakes, making them air conditioned will increase patronage from the middle and upper middle classes. In terms of reach one needs to add a line from Velachery to past sholinganallur along OMR and a loop line that connects chennai chengelput to oragadam, sriperumbudur iruguttkottai with ambattur and koyambedu. The additional lines could either be an extension of MRTS or a metro whichever is cheaper.

from:
Anand

Posted on: Oct 24, 2013 at 06:39 IST

we have local trains in Chennai for a long time now. Lot of people already use it.

from:
Sachin Jain

Posted on: Oct 24, 2013 at 02:48 IST

I am not sure how will this article on the local newspaper will help the Chennai Metro achieve its objectives. We need all the support to make things happen.

from:
Pradeep

Posted on: Oct 23, 2013 at 22:04 IST

I beg to disagree. Even Delhi metro, when initiated was just a yellow line stretch from North Delhi to central Delhi. Rest of the Delhi was only covered later prior to the commonwealth games & even expanded to Gurgaon & Noida. The article states the obvious, like how just one railway line from Delhi to Mumbai won't solve India's transportation woes.

When the metro will further expand and connect areas like Tambaram to northern most corner of the city in less than 20-30 mins, it'll definitely be a tremendous success? Plus, the buses won't be as overcrowded as we witness now. Probably these are the last 10yrs we'll see people travelling in bus footboards.

from:
Purushu

Posted on: Oct 23, 2013 at 20:50 IST

Metro in Chennai mostly runs along main roads and places which already have good connectivity.For Example,if one lives in Virugambakkam,what is the best solution to travel? It can only be one's own vehicle,as there is very limited connectivity there,compared to the amount of development that is happening there.If one has to reach to the Metro,they have a long distance to cover to reach the stations.So basically just for saying we have a world class metro and to prove to all that Chennai doesnt lag behind other cities,our so called leaders are bringing on these new age technologies.One has to see the wonderful job done in the airport to confirm this fact.

from:
James

Posted on: Oct 23, 2013 at 19:53 IST

Accidents will be prevented if the train has closed doors, we are seeing too many accidents due to over crowding.

from:
Vijay

Posted on: Oct 23, 2013 at 18:51 IST

Compare apple for an apple. Though the article is partially correct, we cannot compare with Delhi - a much bigger city. Further Chennai and Mumbai has the best transportation system in India for over many decades and this metro is adding value. Agreed with requirement for proper planning but surely this will not be a failure.

from:
mani

Posted on: Oct 23, 2013 at 18:26 IST

The majority of chennai population is of Middle class and upper middle class people. Now cars have increased very much along with two wheelers. The objective should be to make the car and two wheeler travellers to take up public transport like trains. At the moment we can not achieve this to not even 10 percent because the metro train routes are not to such destinations and also parking facilities are not planned at reasonable charges for monthly commuters. The metro will only facilitate an easy reach out to Egmore, Central and Tambaram stations. This metro will be useful for people who want to catch long distance trains and buses.

from:
Narasimha

Posted on: Oct 23, 2013 at 16:53 IST

The curve shown in the picture appears very dangerous. It reminds me of the recent spanish train accident where the curve was steep and driver didn't notice it.

from:
John

Posted on: Oct 23, 2013 at 16:42 IST

IT region should be covered under the metro region. It will be very helpful in the development of the OMR region and also reduce the pollution of the too crowded region.

from:
raghuram

Posted on: Oct 23, 2013 at 16:28 IST

Correct! Chennai has a good network of MRTS and local trains which are well utilized. Government should think about upgrading the trains something similar to the Metro trains that will be introduced for Chennai Metro and utilize the existing tracks very well. That will be a huge boost.

from:
Arul

Posted on: Oct 23, 2013 at 14:51 IST

The concept of Urban planning is still need to be studied. Adding up of different modes of transport, neither ease people life nor reduce the vehicle on the road.Rather, it should be complementing the existing system and connect the remote places, which I dont foresee in any on-going projects or in future vision. The amount of money, time and labor spent on these projects is enormous and people should be made aware of it. Also, there should be advertisements stating the benefits and comfort of using such transport, so common man is tuned to use the new mode of transport.
As you quoted, Chennai metro may not be a huge hit it when it comes to live, but with future expansion it may be a better mode of transport for all.

from:
Kheerthivasan JB

Posted on: Oct 23, 2013 at 14:48 IST

Connectivity to suburbs is not sufficient and frequency is poor.
The current suburban link between Beach and Chengelpet run over-crowded with even women standing in foot-board.
But what is important is ensuring these metro lines reach wider and towards suburbs. This is where heavy traffic comes in and goes out every day. With various IT parks going to Mahindra City and OMR, traffic has increased immensely in these areas.. What was once a high speed road sees bumper-to-bumper traffic now.

from:
Praveen

Posted on: Oct 23, 2013 at 14:23 IST

From the statement "The Chennai planners may argue that if their proposal for two additional corridors â Ambatur to Thiruvanmiyur and Porur to Kutchery Road â is implemented, things will improve. The fact is that the government has shelved them." This is utter politics. Acting on whims and fancies of an individual, how the things will improve and the state will prosper?

from:
manoharan

Posted on: Oct 23, 2013 at 14:21 IST

IT corridor needs to be covered. Will take a lot of college and IT company buses off the road. Land acquisition will be a relatively lesser problem.

from:
Giridharan

Posted on: Oct 23, 2013 at 13:11 IST

A well written article by Srivathsan.A on the over optimistic projections/ expectations for Chennai Metro. The basic issue is lack of holistic planning in arriving at a network for Chennai Metro in the initial stages of planning. Do we really need a metro running through the heart of the city, where already all infrastructure esp. roads are under severe stress? Do our planners not know that such transportation plans and policies are to de-congest and not to over congest the already congested city and CBD?

from:
Raghavendran S

Posted on: Oct 23, 2013 at 12:52 IST

The point you missed is that the urban train service already covers some 220Kms and when CMRL is seamlessly integrated with it, it will develop a synergy of its own. Here is the breakdown of the 220Kms
Chennai Beach To Chenglepet - 66Km
Chennai Beach To Velachery - 19Km
Chennai Central To Gummidipondi - 45Km
Chennai Central To Arakkonam - 94Km.

from:
Rajkumark

Posted on: Oct 23, 2013 at 12:35 IST

Chennai Metro rail should have been cvered outskirts so that the growth will be more even and optimal. Devloping with in already develped areas is a bad choise as it serves only limited people only. If it serves rural only population will grow and mre user will use it.

from:
Ananthaganesh

Posted on: Oct 23, 2013 at 11:47 IST

Have we forgotten that Chennai also has the Local train and MRTS systems which are older and quite well used? The current Metro will only be a supplementary to it and thereby we cannot realistically expect such a high usage immediately.

from:
Anu

Posted on: Oct 23, 2013 at 11:45 IST

One major area that all interested parties overlook is OMR leading to the IT corridor. This single road potentially carries 2 - 3 Lakh commuters every day with an average commute time of 1.2 hrs each way. The professionals working in this area would collectively welcome any proposal that can help them avoid lengthy and grossly inconvenient road travel. I hope the powers that be wake up to this reality soon....

from:
Shreyas

Posted on: Oct 23, 2013 at 11:36 IST

The key to success will be organized last mile connectivity and parking facilities from/at the metro stations to the door of commuters.

from:
Mohan

Posted on: Oct 23, 2013 at 11:36 IST

One important point I observed in Chennai Metro is the absence of Car parking facility near the metro stations.Most of the Metro users are Scooter car owners and the Car parking facility is a must for them.Now, the planners should work overtime to find parking near Metro.

from:
VSBALASUBRAMANIAN

Posted on: Oct 23, 2013 at 10:27 IST

Drop the Mono Rail project, Develop the metro, Bring more areas into the connectivity. Develop the surrounding areas, 2. Provide more transit facilities, 3. Provide elevators and walkalators 3. Make them people friendly, 4. Instead of designing and developing on their own consult with the people who are going to use the system. Be Inclusive not Exclusive that's the vital thing. Wish the Chennai Metro.

from:
Thiravidamani

Posted on: Oct 23, 2013 at 10:06 IST

I this there is a typographical error in the foresaid message... It might be 240 but not 140.. please do check